Community safety campaign finds success in Shortroods

A national intervention programme which is helping to build safer and stronger communities has made residents feel safer in their homes, their neighbourhoods and made their area a better place to live.

The Your Home, Your Street, Our Community programme has been in Shortroods in Paisley for a three-month period after being identified by key community safety partners as in need of additional support.

A survey of residents highlighted the main concerns with their community included anti-social behaviour, violent crime, lack of youth interaction and littering.

Based on this feedback, a series of actions were carried out including educational talks in schools, increased community police officers in the area, free swim passes for young people, organised litter picks and joint evening patrols by the Police, Community Wardens and Youth Team.

This has led to 74.5% of respondents, an increase of 17.5%, stating they felt Shortroods was a fairly good, good or very good place to live and 65% of residents now feeling safe in their neighbourhoods, an increase of 31.5%.

More than 86% of residents also now feel safe in their homes thanks to the work carried out as part of the programme.

Chief Inspector Simon Wright, Area Commander for Paisley said: “As a partnership, we have worked really hard to understand what the community of Shortroods wanted us, individually and jointly, to focus on and we did our best to deliver and improve our response to the concerns raised

“The exit survey results evidence that we have delivered on our commitment to the community of Shortroods and that we have helped improve the outcomes for those who live and work there.

“While this particular initiative comes to an end, we have built strong links within Shortroods and my dedicated community officers along with partners will continue to engage and drive forward activities which will continue to improve this community.”

Led by Police Scotland, the programme is supported by Renfrewshire Council, Engage Renfrewshire, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Renfrewshire Leisure and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

Actions are carried out by all partners involved to make a tangible difference to the area, with these actions monitored throughout the three-month period and adapted where needed.

Councillor Marie McGurk, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board, said: “We’re delighted with the response we’ve had from residents in Shortroods as its shown people have been aware of the work going on and it’s left them feeling safer and happier within their neighbourhoods.

“The programme is a great example of partnership working as we’ve been able to tackle a wide range of issues in the area identified by the residents which couldn’t be tackled by only one organisation in the programme.

“We’re now working closely with the community to sustain these improvements as the programme prepares to move into the next community in need of some additional support.”

The Shortroods community will continue to be supported by all the partners involved with community police officers and wardens continuing to operate within the area, and residents can also take advantage of the close working relationship developed with the council services involved, including the housing and youth teams.

The partners will now meet to identify the next community that the programme will be rolled out in and residents of the chosen area will be surveyed to find out what their local priorities are.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/YourHomeYourStreet.